Juan Castillo says 'I let down the organization'

Juan Castillo said he would take a bullet for Andy Reid and you could make the case that is exactly what the ousted defensive coordinator did.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday that Castillo was fired as defensive coordinator less than 48 hours after the team squandered a 10-point lead in the final 5 minutes, 18 seconds of a home overtime loss to the Detroit Lions.

“The thing that hurts is that I let down coach Reid, I let down the organization, I let down the city,” Castillo told Comcast SportsNet’s Derrick Gunn, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. “I didn't get it done.”

It’s not surprising. Reid and Castillo had a very close relationship and no one expected Castillo to burn bridges as he exited whether he’s the fall guy or not. Taking the high road will aid him in a job search in 2013 too. He was the Eagles long-time offensive line coach. Reid said Tuesday he didn’t believe it would be fair to Castillo to offer him another position on the staff.

Todd Bowles was promoted from secondary coach to replace Castillo.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune